The Discovery

April, blood clots emerged as one of the many mysterious symptoms attributed to Covid-19, a disease that had initially been thought to largely affect the lungs in the form of pneumonia.

Quickly, reports of young people dying from strokes or heart attacks began to surface, and doctors found themselves facing a disease that behaved in unexpected ways.

What We Know Now

The evidence suggests that the novel coronavirus can infect blood vessel cells, causing inflammation and damage throughout the cardiovascular system. This would explain many of the seemingly disparate symptoms.

Implications for Treatment

Understanding Covid-19 as primarily a vascular disease rather than just a respiratory one could revolutionize treatment approaches and explain the wide range of symptoms patients experience.